Hybrid Vehicles a Big Draw for Israelis in 2018

A total of 269,000 new vehicles were sold in Israel during 2018 – 3-percent less than in 2017. Part of the reason for that was due to very weak sales in December, when only 6,000 vehicles were sold. The biggest-ever year for vehicle sales in Israel was 2016, when, 287,000 vehicles were sold.

But 2018 did see one record set for vehicle sales in Israel – it was the year that sales of hybrid vehicles hit a record high, with over 39,000 of the vehicles sold. That places hybrids at 14.5 percent of the total vehicle market in Israel – among the highest in the world. Among the hybrids were 2,500 electric hybrid vehicles that are recharged by being plugged into the wall – a feature of some of the higher-end vehicles, made by BMW, among others.

The biggest sellers among the hybrids was the Toyota Prius, of which some 14,000 were sold, followed by models by Hyundai (12,200), and Kia (9,000). The single most popular vehicle sold was the Hyundai Ionic, with 10,200 vehicles sold. Hyundais were also the most popular of all vehicles sold, with over 38,000 ordered, followed by Kia, with 35,500 sold. Toyota was in third place, with 28,000 vehicles sold, followed by Skoda (21,000) and Nissan (15,000).